'State secrets' leaker seized by cops

A 70-year-old woman has been detained for "leaking State secrets to foreign contacts," the Xinhua News Agency quoted Beijing police as saying on Thursday.

Gao Yu allegedly obtained a paper copy of a confidential government document in June 2013, typed it up and sent the electronic version to an overseas website from where it was widely reported abroad.

Xinhua did not disclose the name of the website or the contents of the file, but the BBC reported they related to democracy and civil society.

Police seized Gao on April 24. In video footage broadcast by China Central Television ahead of the trial, Gao expressed her regret.

"I believe what I did is against the law and harmed the nation's interests," Gao told police interrogators. "What I have done is wrong. I sincerely regret it and plead guilty."

Gao was previously sentenced to six years in jail in 1993 for leaking State secrets, according to Xinhua.

After being released from prison, Gao continued to write for international media including Deutsche Welle's Chinese-language website.

"It's very likely Gao will serve a similar length of jail term this time," Li Fangping, a civil rights lawyer, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Li noted that Gao's age, which might earn her leniency in other types of cases, is unlikely to play a role this time.

"It's likely that her case will be heard in private," Li said.

Gao was born in Southwest China's city of Chongqing and previously worked for China News Service, according to previous media reports.